What Might Have Been
by Brulian4ever
Summary: Brucas One Shot. Brooke tries not to think about what might have been. No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing :) Rated T for minimal swearing.


**A/N - This takes place at some point during the time jump in the series finale. I tried to stay true to both Lucas and Brooke. It's sort of similar to my other story "Every Now and Then", but not... if that makes any sense. Please feel free to leave a review. :)**

It had been years since Brooke Davis had laid eyes on Lucas Scott. Sure, he and Peyton had been back to Tree Hill, both together and separately, periodically over the years but for some reason Lucas' trips had always been planned while Brooke was going to be out of town and unable to change the dates. If she was the paranoid type she would have thought that Lucas was trying to avoid her, but she refused to let herself go down that road because all that would do is open a can of worms that best was left sealed shut.

In any event, considering how long it been since she had seen him, the absolute last person she expects to see standing in front of her on a random street in Manhattan was Lucas Scott.

"Lucas, oh my god! Hi!" Brooke found herself throwing her arms around the tall blonde before she could stop herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I just had a meeting with my editor. I'm getting ready to publish my next book." Brooke grinned as the words left Lucas' mouth.

"Luke, that's great! Haley mentioned you were working on your next book but I didn't realize it was done."

"Well, the first draft is done." Luke shrugs a little. "I'm sure the publisher will hack it to pieces…"

"Well don't let them." Brooke smiled. "Remember what I told you when you were making Ravens. Don't let them ruin your vision, whatever that is."

"Brooke Davis, always so wise." Lucas smiles in return and Brooke shrugs with a knowing smile. "What are you doing right now? Do you have time to grab a quick bite or a drink?"

"Yeah, of course." Brooke agrees immediately and the two of them make their way toward a restaurant close by. Once they're settled into a booth in the back, the pair falls into easy conversation, with Brooke gushing over her two boys, Jude and Davis, who were due to start school the following September and Lucas finds himself entranced with look of complete love on Brooke's face as she talks about her sons.

"Two boys and a girl…" Lucas murmurs the words before he even realizes that he's thinking them and Brooke looks up at him, surprise written across her face.

"Luke…" Brooke says with a warning tone.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from, I just…" Lucas trailed off for a second as he looked at the brunette across from him. "Do you ever think about it? That night? That life we made up for ourselves? About what could have been?"

Brooke was quiet for a long time as she looked at the brooding blonde. Did she ever think about that? She didn't even know how to answer that question. She knew that she should lie. She knew that she should tell him that she forgot it the moment she left his hotel room, but she never could lie to Lucas. He would see right through her anyway.

"Sure, I think about it now and then." Brooke says finally, nodding her head slowly. "But that was a long time ago, Luke. We both moved on. I've got a good life now and I'm not going to mess that up. So, truthfully, I actively try not to think about what might have been. You and me, Luke, that was a different life. At some point along the way, our paths went in different directions. We can't go back so there's no point in dwelling on what if." Brooke pauses for a second. "Luke, where is this coming from? Are you and Peyton having problems? The last time we spoke, she never mentioned anything."

"No. We're fine. Sawyer is healthy and happy; my next book is getting published; Red Bedroom 2.0 is doing well." Lucas shakes his head and take a sip of his drink.

"Then where is all this coming from?" Brooke looks at him, genuinely confused as to why he would be bringing all of this up now, after all these years, when they were both finally settled and happy.

"Everywhere and no where…" Lucas says cryptically and Brooke's brow furrows in confusion. "Brooke, it's not that I don't love Peyton, I do. But you and I…" Lucas' eyes soften as he looks at her and Brooke can feel her pulse quicken the way it always did when he looked at her that way. Brooke looks down at her hands for a moment, her eyes landing on her wedding band. She's not going to bullshit herself to say that she's not tempted; that there isn't a small part of her that wants to give in the way she didn't all those years ago in this same city. But she won't. Too much time has gone by and she's not going to ruin the life she's built with Julian and her boys.

"I know." Brooke says quietly, closing her eyes for just a second. "But we can't. I should go." Brooke reaches for her purse, sliding out of the booth. "It was really great to see you Luke." Brooke says as she leans down to brush her lips across his cheek and it's the truth. Regardless of everything, seeing Lucas Scott is always a good thing. "You guys should come to Tree Hill for a visit soon. I know Haley and Nathan would love to see you. I have to fly to Paris next month for Fashion Week." Lucas' eyes widen for a split second and Brooke knows that he's finally realized that she knows what he's been doing all these years.

"I'll mention it to Peyton." Lucas says after a moment, a sad smile on his lips. Brooke nods with an air of finality as she swings her purse over her shoulder. Their eyes lock for one last minute and the imaginary life they had planned in the back of that carriage flashes through Brooke's mind as she turns and leaves the restaurant, only glancing back once to find Lucas watching her with an expression that she's sure matches her own.

She pushes the door open and steps out into the cool New York air, taking a deep breath as she sets off on foot toward her office. Her cell phone rings and she digs it out of her purse, smiling when she sees a picture of Davis and Jude with the word **HOME** on her screen.

"Hey." Brooke lifts the phone to her ear.

"Hey baby. How was your day?"

"It's better now." Brooke smiles again as she waits for the crosswalk sign to change. "How are Jude and Davis?"

"They're fine. They miss their mom. Their dad misses her too." Julian's voice lowers intimately when he says that last part and Brooke's smile grows wider. "When are you coming home?"

Brooke looks back toward the restaurant just as the walk signs lights up to see Lucas step out and start in the opposite direction, her smile faltering for just a second.

"What might have been" Brooke whispers to herself as she watches Lucas' figure disappear into the crowd.

"What was that, babe? I couldn't hear you." Julian's voice on the other end of the phone snaps Brooke back to reality.

"Oh, nothing." Brooke shakes her head, forcing the 'what ifs' from her mind. "I'm supposed to fly out tomorrow night" She crosses the street, putting even more distance between herself and the past. "But I think I'm going to call the airlines and see if I can catch a red eye. I miss my boys and I want to be home."


End file.
